tetonrider

what do you mean?

ive been riding di2 since 2010 in all conditions. It is especially awesome in crappy conditions where excessive friction, mud,nice, etc can wreak havoc on mechanical systems.

Since the introduction di2 has had a crash mode (not sure how it detects) that locks out the RD to protect it. I've crashed a hike at 30 with it...but did not fall on that side.

Replcement parts Re more expensive due to retail prices being higher than mechnanical. However, I've always gotten the di2 stuff off of eBay or through other sources, which has been les than qbp pricing (which is remarkable). it doesn't HAVe to be pricey.

Di2 is no less sensitive in a crash than mechanical. The external battery locks into place...you'd have to really destroy your frame to knock it out. That said, everything is (appropriately, IMO) going to internal batteries.

shovelhd

Lots of guys use mechanical. Nothing wrong with it. I don't know about EPS but Di2 has a crash mode which is accessible from the front junction. It takes about 8 seconds to reset the RD. My 7970 (1st generation) Di2 has an internal battery. My frame is built for internal wiring. The whole rig is super clean, cleaner than mechanical.

Teton, the stepper motor senses that the worm gear is not lined up with the cage and goes into crash mode. It then goes through a series of self alignment steps to try and put itself back into place.

tetonrider

Thanks shovel. Didn't know what triggered the lockdown. Agree that a reset is simple. Love di2!

shovelhd

It's weird watching the RD shift itself.

TMonk

That sounds like a fun sensation.

I've never even touched an eletronic groupset, let alone put in a ride on one. I'd like to try.

SpeshulEd 

My first time on Di2, I went to throw the brake lever like you would a mechanical shifter and almost fell off the bike. Then I was like, oh...buttons!

shovelhd

Why am I not surprised?

SpeshulEd 

Because I was the first one around me that got Di2 and no one showed me how to shift the thing so I assumed it was like any other. I wasn't that surprised either. The whole "falling off the bike" was just me being sarcastic to make it a good story.

thechemist

@tetonrider @shovelhd

Thanks guys. I plead pure ignorance when it comes to EPS/Di2. I simply came into it with the notion that electronics are more fragile but it sounds like they really have nailed this design.

Had a stab at ultegra 10 speed electronic(venge) or sram red(tarmac) last year when I got my bike...maybe I should have gone electronic

shovelhd

Red Yaw is great stuff if you like the Double Tap. I didn't. I have a Red Yaw SRM with 7970 and it shifts great.

Like Ex says, once you go tron, you'll never go back. I know I would never give up my sprint shifters. I use them all the time. The thumb lever on Campy levers is to high up the bars for my small hands and it is not adjustable like the Di2 sprint shifter is.

Inquisitor.

My new Felt AR4 is incredibly fast. I rode a 1.1 mile loop with with 10-15 mph wind without my aero wheels yesterday, and I was several seconds faster per lap than riding my old S-Works with no wind using my Cosmic Carbones. The frame is stiff and responsive, and very comfortable. Also, once we got it dialed in, the Ultegra 11 speed provides crisp shifting.

The one downside is that the front end sometimes gets a little squirrely when I sprint all out. The bike is set up virtually identical to my old bike. The only difference I can find is that the fork has a bit more of an angle, and the wheel base is about an inch longer on my Felt.

Ygduf

I have big ugly wide feet with hammer toes and a high instep.

Tell me which custom shoes to buy, please. It's time. I just did a 5 hour race where I was nursing my feet for 2 hours and the fear of constant pedaling from any smaller break or solo effort limited my options.

topflightpro

I know two guys who have D2. They love them. One guy - raced a long time ago and now does 10,000 miles a year including doing the TDF route each summer - is now on his second pair. He said the first pair lasted 10 years.

I'm trying the Shimano R 320 wides right now. I am not impressed. Thinking about trying Lake next.

Bont makes a custom option, but I've not met anyone who's tried the custom ones, and if I remember correctly, you did not like Bonts in the past.

waterrockets 

Do most of you crank your shoe straps down? I just push mine through the ratchet until the first push stops. I can't quite pull my foot out, but I keep them really loose. I think this has a lot to do with how my feet are comfortable in many different types of shoes. I've never had a problem with sprint power with this setup, and tightening them for testing did not reveal any improvement.

Oh, also, two of my training partners had SRAM RED rear ders explode on them this week. Just came apart, both of them, no crashes.

Inquisitor.

I'm in the market for new shoes too. I've been wearing a pair of Sidi shoes for 10 years (possibly Genius model), but they're wearing a little thin after my crash. They've always been extremely comfortable. I'm trying to decide if I should get something similar, or go with something fancy with a wire enclosure.

Ygduf

No, I wear my shoes loose. I just have feet that are 305mm x 130mm with high toe-box volume from hammer toes and a high arch/instep. Monster feet, yo.

I have had 2 sram red rear derailleurs explode. There is a generation of them with a weak pin that connects the hinge together. I had both mine warrantied and have new ones in the garage and force on my bike until I ever feel like swapping.

furiousferret

I ratchet the hell out of mine. The more stable my ankle is the better. When you've had achilles and peroneal tears its best to protect that area as much as possible. Menial movements still to this day can agitate it.

kindablue

I have relatively wide feet, finding a pair of running shoes that accommodates my toe box volume (as you put it) has always been a PIA. I only can run in Mizunos...

Anywho Shimano and Sidi were no goes for me, too narrow. I slipped on a pair of Specialized and they are friggern amazing. The brand has its own footbed line with the whole Body Geo thing they do. I'd give Specialized a try with some high arch inserts, or even dare to go a custom pair.

Ygduf

I have ordered and tried in the past, Bontrager, Specialized (wide size), Shimano, Sidi, Northwave, and... I forget what else. I alternate between a pair of Lake cx401 and Bont Vaypor in wide size. Those two almost work. Almost.

I emailed D2, Bont, Riivo and Simmons Racing yesterday. After a couple emails back and forth, I just paid up for semi-custom Riivo shoes. Sent in tracing and photos. We'll see how this goes.

himespau 

I have weird feet that are relatively narrow past the ankle and then get really wide around the toes. So shoes that give me enough room in the toe box, like my current shimanos, almost always have too much room where the second velcro strap and the ratchet are. I have to ratchet it all the way as tight as can be or my heel is sliding all over the place. Go a size smaller (or find a narrower shoe) and my toes are uncomfortably cramped.

topflightpro

Please keep me posted on how you like the Riivos. I've done Sidi, Specialized and now on Shimanos, and I have tried out Fizik, Northwave, Diadora, Bont and Lake. I am debating whether to give Lake another try or just go custom myself.

I think i liked the fit of the last pair of Lake's I had - I can't really remember as I did not keep them long. My issue with the Lakes was the BOA system on them sucked. The ratchet was behind the heel, and during hard efforts, my heel would slip - basically the BOA laces would loosen across the top of my foot and tighten across the toes. But at least the sole was the proper width.

I loved my first pair of Specialized shoes, but they tore, and I am not a fan of the new design Specialized.

Shimano wides are not great. The carbon sole is not any wider than the regular version. To make the shoe wide, they simply add a semi-rigid foam pad inside and add material around it to widen the shoe. It creates some flex though, as I have 2-3 mm of bendable area around the entire shoe.

And Sidis just clobber my feet.

Ygduf

Will do. I have some lake cx401s that are almost wide enough, otherwise very comfortable, but they're ****ing heavy. Each shoe weighs as much as the pair of Bonts.

I found the same in the Shimanos. They weren't wide enough at all, and felt weirdly squishy/flexy. Not like race shoes should feel. I felt like I could feel the pedal through the sole.

The lake cx402 in wide has a listed width of 130mm in a 48, which is just about right. I'd prefer like 133 or so to allow for swelling as the day goes on, but I would have tried them could I have found them for sale anywhere online.

As is, the Riivo Sincro in semi-custom (send tracing and pics and he sends a test fitting pair which you try and send back with feedback and he then makes your custom pair) are $835. I feel a little ridiculous paying that much for shoes, but meh. I ride 13k miles/year and I just paid more for a disk I'll ride like 200mi total each year.

furiousferret

So long as you use them, who cares what it costs. Passion has no price.

hack

On the other end of the spectrum here. I've got long skinny feet (295x105ish) and have been using Giro shoes with some success. They seem to be somewhat narrow (assuming they're not the HV model), but still more room in the heel than I'd like. I to size up to accommodate length, but have some slipping in the heel when ratcheted all the way down.

Anyone out there have experience with narrower shoes?

Ygduf

^^ I thought they were all narrow.